Nuancehttp://www.adweek.com/taxonomy/term/14123/all
enTalking Mobile Ads Are No Jokehttp://www.adweek.com/news/technology/talking-mobile-ads-are-no-joke-148303
Christopher Heine<p>
It may be&nbsp;<a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/google-goes-all-out-april-fools-148278" target="_blank">April Fools&#39; Day</a>, but Nuance says that ads talking back to you are nothing to laugh about. The 20-year-old <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuance_Communications" target="_blank">software firm</a> this morning <a href="http://www.nuance.com/company/news-room/press-releases/voiceads.docx" target="_blank">announced</a> an initiative that&#39;s designed to create two-way conversations between consumers and mobile advertisements.</p>
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The Burlington, Mass.-based firm&#39;s <a href="http://www.nuance.com/go/voiceads" target="_blank">Voice Ads</a> product seems to have a fairly simple execution. The promos&mdash;via text or audio&mdash;prompt mobile consumers to tap a microphone button in the ad unit and then speak to it. If they do, a brief marketing script begins that&#39;s meant to engage the person in a dialogue and ultimately lead to a sale.</p>
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Currently, the format hasn&#39;t been tested by brands. But a lot of big industry names have partnered with Nuance with the promise of getting clients on board, including agencies <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/leo-burnett-wins-pfizers-nexium-147393" target="_blank">Leo Burnett</a>, <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/media-agency-year-global-omd-137641" target="_blank">OMD</a> and <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/weisman-takes-top-north-american-role-digitas-148042" target="_blank">Digitas</a> as well as mobile nets <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/ipo-mobile-ads-137351" target="_blank">Millennial Media</a>, <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/jumptap-enters-mobile-video-ad-space-102526" target="_blank">Jumptap</a> and Opera Mediaworks.</p>
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&quot;Mobile advertising hasn&#39;t worked well,&quot; Peter Mahoney, Nuance cmo, told Adweek. &quot;Engagement has been a challenge, and we think that&#39;s where voice ads come in.&quot;</p>
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While Mahoney hopes to generate traction among advertisers on streaming music services like Pandora, he said, &quot;we see great opportunities for this product in other formats, such as digital TV and automotive [in-car] apps.&quot;</p>
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Meanwhile, Brett Leary, Digitas vp of mobile, explained his agency&#39;s interest in the product via a statement. &quot;Compelling user experiences are critical to mobile advertising&mdash;you have only a few seconds to capture the interest of a demographic that is always on the go, multitasking, and seeking instant gratification,&quot; he said.</p>
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Laura Schneider, mobile specialist for OMD, added, &quot;Infusing voice as part of the ad experience gives us an entirely new landscape of creative assets and capabilities that will transform a brand&rsquo;s ability to quite literally speak directly to their target audience.&quot;</p>
Technologyad targetingDigitasJumptapLeo BurnettMillennial MediaMobilemobile adsmobile marketingNuanceOMDMon, 01 Apr 2013 17:16:20 +0000148303 at http://www.adweek.com